The SA Friends of the Beit Halochem Zahal Disabled Veterans Organisation was established in Johannesburg in 1982, its primary goal being to help and support Zahal disabled veterans by raising funds to help them return and resume their normal lives as soon as possible.

Generous Killarney Mall shoppers and retail sponsors have managed to collect one-years-worth of stationery for Thembelenkosini Care Givers in Soweto, part of an ongoing initiative to support the centre.

There’s a popular weekly satirical show in Israel called Eretz Nehederet. In a recent episode, an actor playing Benny Gantz, the former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and newcomer to Israeli politics, is asked how he’s feeling.

Devotion to the cause of the State of Israel flourishes in the most unlikely places, even in societies where the Jewish presence is small to non-existent. Such is the case in Mozambique, where the work of Beth-El Associacao Crista Amigos De Israel - Mozambican Christian Friends of Israel - testifies to how much can be achieved by those inspired by their Christian faith to promote the Israeli cause, despite adverse conditions.

JNF’s unique “Blue Boy Box” now lives at King David Linksfield Pre-Primary so that children of each generation learn the importance of tzedakah (charity or welfare). It is the responsibility of Jews all over the world to build Israel, develop it and nurture it as the home of the Jewish nation

“Knowledge is Light” was our school motto when I was a child in Durban. The importance of education was made clear to us from as far back as I can remember. It wasn’t taken for granted. A good education was a privilege.

How to fight terrorism while at the same time not encourage it is a challenge Israel continues to grapple with. Last Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he was enacting the so-called “terrorist salaries law” for the first time. It allows Jerusalem to deduct from the monthly taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) those monies it claims go towards terrorism.

(JTA) After the New England Patriots beat the favoured Kansas City Chiefs to reach their third straight Super Bowl – their amazing ninth in less than 20 years – CBS sports analyst Boomer Esiason made an intriguing statement, namely that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I can’t bear bullies! I know I am not alone in having a serious aversion to anyone or any group who tries to make themselves feel better by making others feel bad about themselves. I can’t stand people who push others around just because they are not able – for whatever reason – to stand up to them.

We have all heard the term before, and either flinched, cringed, or nodded our heads. The words “apartheid Israel” have become a term so often used in the discourse around Israeli-Palestinian conflict that we have somewhat lost our ability to think critically about its use.

With Prince William’s historic visit to Israel this week, all eyes have been trained on the Jewish capital. It may have taken 70 years, but the first official visit by a member of the British Royal family began in Israel on Monday, when William, the Duke of Cambridge, arrived in Tel Aviv.

Some 5 600 emissaries (shluchim) from Chabad-Lubavitch from all over the world gathered at the Pier 8 warehouse in Brooklyn, New York this week for the opening of their four-day annual international conference and banquet, 75 years after the arrival of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, from Europe.

It boggles the mind. Why is so much Torah-coverage given to the subject of an elaborate tent-structure called the tabernacle? The verses that relate to the tabernacle’s construction seem to go on and on. They fill not one, but four weekly portions.

“The greatness of our nation is that our people are great. We are a nation of heroes, of people with good and decent moral fibre who will not tolerate our country being plundered!” So said Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein in Pretoria this morning.“This is a struggle for accountability and justice,” Goldstein told the crowd (which included prominent Jewish CEOs like Adrian Gore, Stephen Koseff and Michael Katz). “This struggle is about sovereignty. The power of the people always triumphs in the end.”

SA Organisations

Board attends WJC Congress on Rome

I am writing from Rome, where I am attending a meeting of the World Jewish Congress’ (WJC) governing board, where I sit as a representative of South African Jewry. Last night, we were taken on a fascinating tour of the historic Rome Ghetto area, the world’s oldest Diaspora Jewish community.

by
MARY KLUK | Oct 28, 2015

Today, nearly 150 delegates and guests have convened to discuss the situation of Jews around the world, as well as such related issues as the the current wave of terrorist attacks in Israel, the refugee crisis in Europe and the aftermath of the Iran nuclear agreement. We have just listened to an inspiring presentation by the Vice President of the Union of Italian Communities on an incredible project supporting refugees in Milan. Later, I will be facilitating an important panel discussion on BDS.

The venue and date of this Governing Board meeting was specifically chosen to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate. Chapter Four of this landmark declaration by the Roman Catholic Church is particularly devoted to relations with the Jews, with special attention to addressing, and rethinking, the Church’s traditional anti-Semitism. Nostra Aetate thus marked the beginning of a positive new era in Jewish-Catholic relations. Tomorrow, 28 October, is the actual fiftieth anniversary of its announcement, and to mark this occasion, the Governing Board, headed by WJC President Ambassador Ronald Lauder, will attend a public audience with His Holiness Pope Francis. This will be followed by a press conference. I look forward to reporting back on this historic meeting next week.

As previously reported in this column, we are very honoured that Mr Lauder will be one of the main speakers at the forthcoming SAJBD National Conference on 22 November. Since taking over as WJC President in June 2007, Ronald has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to world Jewry, and the global impact made by the WJC during this time testifies to what he has, and is, achieving. Certainly, there is no more important Jewish lay leader in the world today, nor one who has done and is doing more to promote the well-being and fight for the rights of Jews wherever they may be.

The governing board meeting was preceded by the meeting of the Jewish Diplomatic Corp, a body established by the WJC to train and develop international young leaders. We can be proud that the current chair of the JDC is one of our own upcoming young leaders, Marc Pozniak, and that its members also include Durban’s Alana Baranov. Alana, who made a presentation on hate crimes in South Africa, is a Vice-President of the Council for KwaZulu-Natal Jewry, while Mark has already served for a number of years on the SAJBD Gauteng Council. Also with us in Rome to attend the conference are Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft and Ann Harris, respectively CEO and Spiritual Leader and Acting President of the African Jewish Congress.

A little over three weeks remain before our conference, where in addition to Ronald Lauder, we will have as guest speakers President Zuma and the renowned intellectual and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levi. To book for the event, or for further information, contact Jenni on [email protected]/ 011 645 2521.